Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Here's The Thing About College

NOTE: This blogpost is for my Writing for Electronic Media class, so it may be a little different from the rest of this blog.

Here's the thing about college: It's stupid expensive.

I don't really understand why it's so expensive, but I do know that the expense is not relative. The cost of an American college education is far more expensive than, say, a Canadian college education. What's worse is the value of a colleged education is decreasing exponentially. Today's bachlor's degree is the high school diploma of fifty years ago--it's practically expected if you want to make any sort of decent living.

So if somebody wants to do more than just make a decent living, additional college is required. I mean, it's been practically a given since I started college, that in order to be really successful, I am going to have to go to grad school. Just chalk up another fifty grand or so to my student debt.

Naturally, the idea that colleges are going to start basing admission on a student's ability to pay is kind of frustrating. I mean, if a kid works their ass off to meet all of the admission requirements and get the good grades, they should get in. It shouldn't matter if the student is poor. Brains over Brawn/Financial Stability, right?

However, economic hardship is relative. I mean, I guess it's understandable that colleges would want to get away from admitting students who are less likely to keep up their end of the bargain. A college is a business too--they need to pay the bills.

I guess it's our own fault though. This is America--the shining example of capitalism. Money gets you everywhere and charity is rare. If you want something, you have to work for it. And I guess in the case of college, "work for it" will now also have to include three part time jobs as well as exemplary grades and involvment in extracuriculars. Good luck Class of 2013.

11 comments:

Well now Natalie if you were an illegal alien, you would be getting your college paid for. That's how generous our government is. That's our problem right now - our country gives away too dam much money for no good reason. Okay, that's all now.

my 2 cents are this- your answer was partly in your question. colleges have expensive degree programs that have little meaning for their graduates. i'm not saying there's anything wrong with a philosophy degree if you have the money to pay for it, but the problem is there's not much to do with it, except be really book smart and work at a whole foods. you pretty much need to go for broke (and get a PhD or MA)if you want to get a decent job in that career. and that's just one example. Sports management, Textile and Apparel Management, Art History, etc... that, and colleges pay way too much for sports (at MU they operate on a LOSS, not a profit). also what Mamser said is true. we shouldn't be doling out so much money especially to degree programs that WON'T pay off. it's a scam.

College is expensive, but you have to remember in America today, 80% of students do not pay full price. If you are paying full price, you are part of the 20% who are contributing to the students who are not. The College Board reports that private schools only collect approximately 67% of their sticker price tuition. If a school were to chop its price from, say, $30,000 to the roughly $19,000 that the typical student pays, wealthier students would pay less, and that wouldn't provide the extra tuition needed for students who can't afford it. In the past, sticker prices were lower, and scholarships/federal aid was smaller. Education is the fourth largest industry in America. Universities don't see the rising costs of education as a problem, they see it as a solution.

Giving back? When did we ever GET anything? You mean Gary isn't really out on four-inch beams 200 feet in the air working his butt off? Working out of town, or working nights for months out of the year? We never got a single dime of financial aid. We are penalized because we managed our money well. Keep in mind, a strategy I read when filling out Natalie's FAFSA (federal financial aid form) was, "Buy that new car, boat, house, etc. before filling out your FAFSA". What does that tell you?

Exactly Susan, that's why I am not a fan of liberalism, socialism and Obama. People like you scrimp and save to send your child to college and other parents rather spend their money on themselves and other luxuries, or else they are lazy and not do anything to better themselves. So it ends up that you are helping pay for their children's college. Is that fair? I don't think it is. They say the rich should pay their fair share. But is more than half a fair share? 40% of the people do not pay any income tax - is that fair? Well, I better shut up.

Yes, Susan, you're part of the 20% I was talking about. You were penalized for managing your money. You scrimped and saved all Natalie's life to send her to college, and now due to your good fortune, you get to pay the sticker price, no discount.